1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed towards a device for endoscopic examinations and/or operations, in particular in the region of the epipharynx, oropharynx, mesopharynx and/or hypopharynx and/or of the larynx, but also, in optionally modified form, for cardiosurgical, laparoscopic, neurosurgical and/or gynaecological examinations and/or operations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the aforementioned region of the pharynx and of the larynx a large number of pathological changes may occur which not uncommonly require surgical therapy. For instance, besides benign tumors, carcinomas occur of the pharynx, for example pharyngeal lymphoepithelioma, and of the larynx, for example in the form of carcinoma of the sphenocephalus. Depending on the site of these tumors, a pharyngectomy or a laryngectomy is carried out in these cases. With a view to diagnosis of tumors in the region of the pharynx, use is made of a so-called laryngoscope, an endoscope with a spatula for pressing the tongue against the floor of the mouth and also optionally a laryngeal spatula. With the aid of such a laryngoscope it is also possible to operate by means of laser surgery, but both diagnosis and therapy prove difficult in many cases, for example when a tumor is located in the valleculae; this difficulty results from the tube diameter of such a laryngoscope. In the region of the transition from the oropharynx or mesopharynx to the hypopharynx, malignant tumors are to be found with increased incidence, the removal of which by laser surgery has hitherto been made decidedly difficult as a consequence of the intermittent use during surgery of instruments for representing the corresponding anatomical region. Moreover, there are a number of other problems, particularly in the region of the oropharynx and mesopharynx, which necessitate surgical intervention, for example tonsillectomy. In all these cases it is possible in principle for diagnosis and/or surgical intervention to be undertaken through the pharynx; however, on account of the convoluted structure thereof and the limited capacity of a patient to open his mouth wide it is extremely difficult to insert appropriate examining and/or surgical instruments as far as the location in question.
Similar difficulties also arise within the scope of endoscopy-based diagnostic measures and/or of surgical therapies in the region of other organs of the body, for example in the case of cardiosurgery, laparoscopy, neurosurgery or gynaecology. Here too, the access path is often very cramped, so that examinations and/or operations are greatly impeded.
This disadvantage of the known state of the art results in the problem that gives rise to the invention, namely of creating a device with which endoscopic examinations and/or operations, in particular in the region of the pharynx and of the larynx, can be performed without this entailing the need for a largely rigid instrument with a large tube cross-section, as is the case with conventional endoscopes, to be pushed forward as far as the location in question and without an operation having in certain circumstances to be carried out without direct view. Furthermore, there is a need for enlargement of the access path and for dynamic regulation of all anatomical areas of the region in question in order that the operation may become more precise and thereby safer.